HAMMERS boss Phil Simkin labelled it "a minor miracle" after his side leapfrogged Alton and moved up to seventh in the Wessex Premier with this victory.

Teenage duo Matt Grimason, with a corner, and Joe Byrne, with a resultant volley that hit the bar, set up Nathan Walker's opener from close range.

Then Warren Byerley bamboozled Alton's central defender and goalkeeper, leaving them both sat dumbfounded on the ground in dismay, as he grabbed the second in superb solo fashion after latching onto a through ball soon after.

Simkin said: "I'm really pleased with the performance. It was probably our best away from home this season against a very good side."

Indeed, Alton had only just received their Daily Echo Wessex Club-of-the-month award for December.

Simkin added: "It puts us up to seventh. With our resources, getting to seventh in this league is a minor miracle.

"I'm over the moon with where we are."

Hamworthy United: Peters, Byrne, Grimason, Gilbert, Walker, Dean, R Middleton, Legg, Pinder (Thomas 75), Byerley, Jackson. Unused subs: Seal, Connett, Stickland.